Woodbridge Senator Is Fined $4,000

Democrat Reaches Settlement With State Elections Commission

Campaign Violations

May 28, 2009|By JON LENDER; jlender@courant.com

State Sen. Joseph Crisco, D-Woodbridge, was fined $4,000 Wednesday by the State Elections Enforcement Commission for violating campaign financing laws by falsely signing sworn documents for others involved in his re-election campaign, and for allowing the secretary of his campaign treasurer to sign the treasurer's name to a sworn affidavit.

Because of those problems, the elections panel last year had denied Crisco $85,000 in public financing that he had been trying to obtain from the Citizens' Election Program for his re-election campaign. He won re-election, but the agency kept investigating and on Wednesday approved a settlement with him.

Crisco several times wrote the purported signatures of his campaign treasurer and deputy treasurer on sworn documents, which were notarized in his presence, according to the 10-page negotiated agreement.

The falsely signed and notarized documents included an affidavit promising to abide by the rules of the new public financing system for state elections, and a candidate committee registration form.

In an interview, Crisco refused to confirm that he signed anyone else's name, even though he signed the settlement that says he did. "I think you should speak to my attorney," he said, referring to lawyer John Kelly, who could not be reached.

Last year, when the case came up, Crisco said nothing about signing for someone else, but stated: "My treasurer, who has since resigned, was out of state. I thought it was acceptable" for the treasurer's secretary to sign the treasurer's name and then notarize the signature.

The settlement agreement said the commission "recognizes that while [Crisco] grossly failed to appreciate the seriousness ... of the Connecticut campaign finance laws and ... legal signatures, it also recognizes that [he] has fully cooperated ... and that there was no intent on behalf of [Crisco] to defalcate public funds." Two definitions for "defalcate" are "embezzle" and "steal or misuse funds entrusted to one's care."

Nowhere was the word "forgery" used in the agreement, but state GOP Chairman Chris Healy said flatly that Crisco was "fined $4,000 for forgery."

Healy said the fine comes quickly after a $6,000 fine that the election agency levied against another Democratic state senator, Thomas Gaffey of Meriden, for double-billing the state and Gaffey's own political action committee for travel expenses. "Despite these two recent actions against two sitting senators, the Democratic leadership has been silent on any punishment for either," Healy said.